July 2002 - Hilary Price

HUGE NEWS!!!!!!! We have been awarded our Standards for Approval. Homes of Hope are now a Level One Community Services Provider under Section 396 of the CYFS Act 1989!! Yahoo!!! This is a MAJOR triumph!! The only condition of our approval was that we action our services within three months of the approval date – DONE!!!! ?

Out of the starting blocks and we’re off…

This has been the most gigantic month of all! Our House Parents, Janet and Phil, and their three children, have moved into the home and we have our first resident children.

It seems hard to imagine, yet at the same time so very natural.

Janet and Phil have made the home a lovely haven. They had about 10 days of moving and settling in before the children arrived and have had tremendous support from the community.

The day our first children were due to arrive Colleen and I rushed around to the house and put Warriors duvet covers and a rugby ball in their rooms - their Care Plan indicated they were interested in rugby. I then went to their new school with Janet, to meet with the headmaster to discuss enrolments. As I drove away I was suddenly completely overcome. The tears flowed from the pit of my stomach and the bottom of my shoes – “They’re coming home… They’re coming home ….” It has been HUGE!!!! Words just cannot adequately express these emotions and the final realization that everything we have been working towards is becoming a reality.

We have had some hiccups with school admissions, but the process is just as important as the outcome and we are learning about mediation, communication, compromise and finding corporate wisdom to achieve the best for the children.

The children have been settled for 10 days now and Janet and Phil reported that they are so much a part of the family already. We also have Sharon, a volunteer teacher, who has started working as a Support Staff member and who goes into the home after school and over the weekends as needed. What a tremendous blessing and HUGE heart for these children she has. They are deeply loved and it is just such a privilege to be part of this wonderful, restoring and healing process.

Plans are scooting ahead for our Charity Dinner Dance - you won’t want to miss this!! For tickets contact – info@homesofhope.org.nz Tom Sharplin is on standby to rock ‘n’ roll the night away with the band Crosstalk. Hors d’ouevres, bubbly, 3 course dinner, tea/coffee…. Proceeds will go towards helping a Kiwi kid on their way!

Watch this space!

Hilary

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